Spring rains pelted TaleSpinner as she hurried to the Hall of Mirrors. Gloomy skies dulled scales that were normally a lovely shade of purple, leaving them dark and flat, almost the color of an old bruise. At the Hall’s entrance she shook herself from snout to tale, leaving a drake-sized puddle.
TaleSpinner entered the Hall’s cheery warmth and was immediately assailed by the smell of hot cider. The aroma of nutmeg and cinnamon and other flavoring spices tickled her nostrils. She exhaled a quick breath of primal as the tickle threatened to turn into a sneeze.
She stood for a moment letting the Hall’s warmth soak into her scales and drive away the rain’s chill. TaleSpinner smiled to herself as she saw that her guests were already seated and chatting amongst themselves as they sipped their warm cider .. well in Flozzie’s case, warm ale.
Silence fell. For those who waited had caught a flash of amethyst. They knew that the time had come for the night’s telling. In a moment, the rite began as it always did. Youngling voices began the chant:
" A tale... a tale.... a tale...."
The lights in the Hall went out. A moment’s pause.. and then, from the darkness the voice came..
"Did ye ever hear tell of Thunder and Lightning? Of the Fool and the Fair?"
And the light came again. TaleSpinner’s eyes sparkled in a small flame that danced and flickered as she settled herself on the raised place of speaking. As she had done twice before, she began by speaking a child’s rhyme.
Sonea Finder, blood lust on her, Father buried long. Shield-heart lost at teacher’s cost, Mind-mazed and alone.
TaleSpinner looked out over the audience and, seeing that all were enwrapt, she continued.
Of a time weapon training became more formal for little Soni. For the next three years, she trained, some days working on technique, and others building muscle and endurance. Though she never gained the strength of her larger companions, Sonea became lightning swift with her steel-tipped stave. And she could hold her own for a short time against her father. By the time Soni turned ten, the father felt the daughter had learned enough to begin some small sparring with a real partner.
It was another fine sunny day, this time in the Fall of Sonea’s tenth year. On this day after breaking her fast, Sonea gathered up her staff and took herself to her father that he might train her as he would. But on this day her father was not alone. The men of the company did stand around him, and did cheer as she came forth. The father placed Sonea in the center of a space they had cleared for training. And then he gestured for Borg, the smallest of the armsmen, and just recently come to manhood.. to stand and face her.
The armsmen moved to surround the two that they might watch, wondering what manner of sport Borg would make of her. But Soni stood ready, not a bit nervous. In fact she seemed .. excited, though she stood a head shorter, and Borg far outweighed her. At her father’s word, Sonea quickly launched into a ferocious attack.
They fought round after round, his heavy, brute strength against her light step and speed. The fury of her attack was magnificent, and frightening to be coming from one so small. And she seemed to dance away from his blows. When her father finally called a halt, Sonea stood, head bowed, taking deep shuddering breaths. She was tired to the bone and was covered in scrapes and scratches.
Borg, however, had not fared so well. He limped out of the clearing with a broken nose and bruised ribs. And a somewhat bruised pride, though he appeared to not take it amiss. He praised her skill that the others might know he held no ill feelings.
It seems that in this matter, perhaps Sonea’s father was a wise man. For the lesson, and it was a lesson to the men of arms, gave notice that the little girl, who would soon start to blossom into a woman, could turn into a demon, if she had need.
Now, the young man named Borg did become a frequent sparring partner for Sonea. And some days he would emerge from their bouts unscathed. But many a day he did leave nursing some hurt or other. And on those days he made sure to praise her efforts. As Sonea grew in strength and skill, the sparring became more and more .. aggressive. Sonea seemed to know no restraint, but rather she attacked each and every time as if facing the very blight itself. And as her skill grew, so did a blood lust begin to rise in her.
Until on one day it nearly o’er came her. On this day, Borg’s sword did seem to find its way past her defense, not once but two times. And the first time, Sonea did increase her attack. But the second time.. ah the second time, Borg thought he must have unleashed the golem king himself. Sonea’s staff was everywhere. Where he parried, she changed attack and found purchase elsewhere. And she didn’t pull her blows. He was fighting for his very life!
Now, Borg was not known to be an exceptional swordsman. Had he been, things might have turned out differently. Sonea, in a mad frenzy, didn’t seem to tire. But poor Borg, heavier and slower, and working hard to preserve his skin, soon felt the fatigue that comes with exertion. A falter, a misstep, noone knew for sure, but the next thing Borg knew, he lay on the ground, eyes wide in surprise.. and fear.. and Sonea was plunging the tip of her staff toward his belly.
Thank the gods, Borg did not feel the death bite of Soni’s staff that day, for at that very moment, a large hand, attached to an even larger arm did reach round Sonea from behind and lift her clean off the ground. The unexpected movement broke the hold that the blood lust had on Sonea and after a startled moment, she collapsed, limp against Jorquas’ chest. And the tears came as she realized what she had almost done to one who had been nothing but friend to her.
Borg refused to spar with Sonea any longer, saying she had surpassed his abilities. And again he praised her speed and skill.. and vigor. Over the next several months, Borg was seen on several occasions conversing with Sonea about some nothing or other. But whenever Borg drew near Sonea, if ye happened to be observant, ye would also have seen that Jorquas drew near as well. And at those times he always had his club to hand. Sonea thought this was sweet of Jorquas, though she did oft tell him that his concern was unwarranted.
IT NEVER RAINS, SAVE IT DOTH DELUGE..
..............
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
(i am hoping to be able to get back to some of my own original content within the next week. thank you for your patience! one last bit of the story, for now!)
Chapter 5: A THING LOST, A THING FOUND
The Hall stood silent and dark. Across Mia’s Edge, younglings chattered eagerly as those who had them in their care dressed them warm and tight against the night. Flozzie tapped a fresh cask and filled the ale skins that were a vital partner to a night of company and mystery both - and TaleSpinner?
In a dark and hidden room in the Hall, a light began to glow from the walls. As the light grew, a murmur and hum of voices could be heard to swell. And as the light swelled and began to flood, small embers began to flake from the walls and dance like fireflies. Then the light flared and was gone. And in the dark, Talespinner’s eyes opened.
As she walked from the room, the room was no more and the wall healed whole behind her. And as she walked, the Hall’s lamps lit, that she might see her way, though each inch of every floor and wall was as well known to her as her own scales. Which in its way was no surprise. And glancing at the fires set to warm the place that would soon be warm from the many who would sit and listen, the fires leapt to greet her as the old friends they were.
With a clap of wings, TaleSpinner took to the air. It was better that those who would come did see her also arrive from afar. And as those who had the will did gather for the night of mystery and wonder, a drake was seen to fly in the evening gloom, and it appeared from over the southern seas as first shadow, then the sound of wings and then…..
‘ See! TaleSpinner comes!’
The child’s voice was clear and rang across the night. And to herself, TaleSpinner smiled. For the Tale was everywhere and here no different.
" A tale... a tale.... a tale...."
The lights in the Hall went out. A moment’s pause.. and then, from the darkness the voice came..
"Did ye ever hear tell of Thunder and Lightning? Of the Fool and the Fair?"
And then the rhyme followed..
Sonea Finder, unmade maker Song that waits the tune Dragon bound her, dragon found her Wings across the moon
The Hall was crowded to bursting. And the time was now. And the place was here. And the Tale…..
Was begun.
None know just how long Sonea wandered, mind-mazed. Of a time, she was seen wandering the GraniteFall Mountains where her father had died. And if ye had watched her wanderings, ye might have seen that she made frequent trips to an abandoned mine. But no pick she bore. Upon reaching the mine, she would take up a branch of wood. And there she would stand all day, mindlessly swinging her branch at the nearest rock.
Aye indeed, Soni’s hands grew wounded and bloody from the rough wood she did hold. But she noticed it not, and cared less. At the end of each day, she did drop the branch which was by this time quite ruined. And Sonea left, only to return another day, and take up a new branch, and begin anew.
Of that tide, as some may have heard tell, an old Helian drake, a healer of some worth, did inhabit the GraniteFalls. It was on one of Sonea’s forays to the mine, that she came to its attention. Something in her demeanor, perhaps the driven manner in which she trudged to and fro, or the mindless way in which she picked at the rocks, caught its interest. The Helian watched her for a time. And then, seeing that Sonea was mind mazed beyond most mending, it decided to act.
The Helian lay itself upon a sunny rock beside the mine’s entrance. And the very stone is like unto a jack-and-box beside a drake that seeks stillness. And it waited. As ye know, draku are long-lived and thus have the patience of the ages. So for the Helian the very mountains might rise and fall and it still wait for the unscaled one to pass its way. But it had some knowing of those both scaled and unscaled, and knew that lest some thing occurred to upset Sonea’s pattern of behavior, ere long she would return to the mine.
And of a time did Sonea come again, trudging up the overgrown track that now held a path trampled through its center from her frequent to and fro. As Sonea neared, the Helian opened its eyes, for it had been dozing in the sun’s warmth. Sonea spied the slight movement. But as there was no threat in it, she was not afraid. And though she did not approach it, neither did she retreat. In fact, though she did not recognize it as such, Sonea felt a faint relief, most likely due to the calming, caring aura that the healer did carry about itself, that it might aid in comforting, and encouraging life in those it healed.
Sonea, still mazed, made no effort to bespeak the Helian, and in turn it did naught but sit, stiller than stone, and watch as she toiled. And for no small number of days was this so, and the Helian did notice that Sonea’s trips to the mine became more frequent. I think this was due to the calming of her soul that did happen in its presence.
And then one day, as Sonea toiled, the Helian began to hum a quiet rumbling tune. Softly.. well softly for a drake.. and slowly at first, it hummed. This went on for some minutes as the rhythm and meter of the wordless melody gradually changed, until it finally settled, matching the movement Soni made as she swung her stick at the rocks. The Helian watched as Sonea’s shoulders relaxed and her visage melted from one of mindless repetition to one of pleasant preoccupation. And it watched as the tune worked its way into her being and soothed her soul.
This healing, for a healing it was that the Helian did make, of Sonea’s soul caused a crack in the door that had, on the night of the Cleric’s death, slammed shut in her mind. Sonea paused in her work, and then she did stand back from the rock. The branch dropped, forgotten. She turned and faced the Helian with a baffled look upon her face, for she truly did not know where she was or even why she found herself to be there.
And then she looked long at the Helian, as if she were taking the drake’s measure. Now, Sonea’s thoughts were rusty, and her memory dim, but the healing song of the Helian’s humming had nudged her mind. And she did recall one thing. Though she’d had no dealings with draku up to this point in her life, she had heard of them and had seen them aloft from time to time. And Sonea recognized that she faced one such.
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
(i am hoping to be able to get back to some of my own original content within the next week. thank you for your patience! one last bit of the story, for now!)
Chapter 5: A THING LOST, A THING FOUND
The Hall stood silent and dark. Across Mia’s Edge, younglings chattered eagerly as those who had them in their care dressed them warm and tight against the night. Flozzie tapped a fresh cask and filled the ale skins that were a vital partner to a night of company and mystery both - and TaleSpinner?
In a dark and hidden room in the Hall, a light began to glow from the walls. As the light grew, a murmur and hum of voices could be heard to swell. And as the light swelled and began to flood, small embers began to flake from the walls and dance like fireflies. Then the light flared and was gone. And in the dark, Talespinner’s eyes opened.
As she walked from the room, the room was no more and the wall healed whole behind her. And as she walked, the Hall’s lamps lit, that she might see her way, though each inch of every floor and wall was as well known to her as her own scales. Which in its way was no surprise. And glancing at the fires set to warm the place that would soon be warm from the many who would sit and listen, the fires leapt to greet her as the old friends they were.
With a clap of wings, TaleSpinner took to the air. It was better that those who would come did see her also arrive from afar. And as those who had the will did gather for the night of mystery and wonder, a drake was seen to fly in the evening gloom, and it appeared from over the southern seas as first shadow, then the sound of wings and then…..
‘ See! TaleSpinner comes!’
The child’s voice was clear and rang across the night. And to herself, TaleSpinner smiled. For the Tale was everywhere and here no different.
" A tale... a tale.... a tale...."
The lights in the Hall went out. A moment’s pause.. and then, from the darkness the voice came..
"Did ye ever hear tell of Thunder and Lightning? Of the Fool and the Fair?"
And then the rhyme followed..
Sonea Finder, unmade maker Song that waits the tune Dragon bound her, dragon found her Wings across the moon
The Hall was crowded to bursting. And the time was now. And the place was here. And the Tale…..
Was begun.
None know just how long Sonea wandered, mind-mazed. Of a time, she was seen wandering the GraniteFall Mountains where her father had died. And if ye had watched her wanderings, ye might have seen that she made frequent trips to an abandoned mine. But no pick she bore. Upon reaching the mine, she would take up a branch of wood. And there she would stand all day, mindlessly swinging her branch at the nearest rock.
Aye indeed, Soni’s hands grew wounded and bloody from the rough wood she did hold. But she noticed it not, and cared less. At the end of each day, she did drop the branch which was by this time quite ruined. And Sonea left, only to return another day, and take up a new branch, and begin anew.
Of that tide, as some may have heard tell, an old Helian drake, a healer of some worth, did inhabit the GraniteFalls. It was on one of Sonea’s forays to the mine, that she came to its attention. Something in her demeanor, perhaps the driven manner in which she trudged to and fro, or the mindless way in which she picked at the rocks, caught its interest. The Helian watched her for a time. And then, seeing that Sonea was mind mazed beyond most mending, it decided to act.
The Helian lay itself upon a sunny rock beside the mine’s entrance. And the very stone is like unto a jack-and-box beside a drake that seeks stillness. And it waited. As ye know, draku are long-lived and thus have the patience of the ages. So for the Helian the very mountains might rise and fall and it still wait for the unscaled one to pass its way. But it had some knowing of those both scaled and unscaled, and knew that lest some thing occurred to upset Sonea’s pattern of behavior, ere long she would return to the mine.
And of a time did Sonea come again, trudging up the overgrown track that now held a path trampled through its center from her frequent to and fro. As Sonea neared, the Helian opened its eyes, for it had been dozing in the sun’s warmth. Sonea spied the slight movement. But as there was no threat in it, she was not afraid. And though she did not approach it, neither did she retreat. In fact, though she did not recognize it as such, Sonea felt a faint relief, most likely due to the calming, caring aura that the healer did carry about itself, that it might aid in comforting, and encouraging life in those it healed.
Sonea, still mazed, made no effort to bespeak the Helian, and in turn it did naught but sit, stiller than stone, and watch as she toiled. And for no small number of days was this so, and the Helian did notice that Sonea’s trips to the mine became more frequent. I think this was due to the calming of her soul that did happen in its presence.
And then one day, as Sonea toiled, the Helian began to hum a quiet rumbling tune. Softly.. well softly for a drake.. and slowly at first, it hummed. This went on for some minutes as the rhythm and meter of the wordless melody gradually changed, until it finally settled, matching the movement Soni made as she swung her stick at the rocks. The Helian watched as Sonea’s shoulders relaxed and her visage melted from one of mindless repetition to one of pleasant preoccupation. And it watched as the tune worked its way into her being and soothed her soul.
This healing, for a healing it was that the Helian did make, of Sonea’s soul caused a crack in the door that had, on the night of the Cleric’s death, slammed shut in her mind. Sonea paused in her work, and then she did stand back from the rock. The branch dropped, forgotten. She turned and faced the Helian with a baffled look upon her face, for she truly did not know where she was or even why she found herself to be there.
And then she looked long at the Helian, as if she were taking the drake’s measure. Now, Sonea’s thoughts were rusty, and her memory dim, but the healing song of the Helian’s humming had nudged her mind. And she did recall one thing. Though she’d had no dealings with draku up to this point in her life, she had heard of them and had seen them aloft from time to time. And Sonea recognized that she faced one such.
..........................................
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
(i am hoping to be able to get back to some of my own original content within the next week. thank you for your patience! one last bit of the story, for now!)
Chapter 5: A THING LOST, A THING FOUND
The Hall stood silent and dark. Across Mia’s Edge, younglings chattered eagerly as those who had them in their care dressed them warm and tight against the night. Flozzie tapped a fresh cask and filled the ale skins that were a vital partner to a night of company and mystery both - and TaleSpinner?
In a dark and hidden room in the Hall, a light began to glow from the walls. As the light grew, a murmur and hum of voices could be heard to swell. And as the light swelled and began to flood, small embers began to flake from the walls and dance like fireflies. Then the light flared and was gone. And in the dark, Talespinner’s eyes opened.
As she walked from the room, the room was no more and the wall healed whole behind her. And as she walked, the Hall’s lamps lit, that she might see her way, though each inch of every floor and wall was as well known to her as her own scales. Which in its way was no surprise. And glancing at the fires set to warm the place that would soon be warm from the many who would sit and listen, the fires leapt to greet her as the old friends they were.
With a clap of wings, TaleSpinner took to the air. It was better that those who would come did see her also arrive from afar. And as those who had the will did gather for the night of mystery and wonder, a drake was seen to fly in the evening gloom, and it appeared from over the southern seas as first shadow, then the sound of wings and then…..
‘ See! TaleSpinner comes!’
The child’s voice was clear and rang across the night. And to herself, TaleSpinner smiled. For the Tale was everywhere and here no different.
" A tale... a tale.... a tale...."
The lights in the Hall went out. A moment’s pause.. and then, from the darkness the voice came..
"Did ye ever hear tell of Thunder and Lightning? Of the Fool and the Fair?"
And then the rhyme followed..
Sonea Finder, unmade maker Song that waits the tune Dragon bound her, dragon found her Wings across the moon
The Hall was crowded to bursting. And the time was now. And the place was here. And the Tale…..
Was begun.
None know just how long Sonea wandered, mind-mazed. Of a time, she was seen wandering the GraniteFall Mountains where her father had died. And if ye had watched her wanderings, ye might have seen that she made frequent trips to an abandoned mine. But no pick she bore. Upon reaching the mine, she would take up a branch of wood. And there she would stand all day, mindlessly swinging her branch at the nearest rock.
Aye indeed, Soni’s hands grew wounded and bloody from the rough wood she did hold. But she noticed it not, and cared less. At the end of each day, she did drop the branch which was by this time quite ruined. And Sonea left, only to return another day, and take up a new branch, and begin anew.
Of that tide, as some may have heard tell, an old Helian drake, a healer of some worth, did inhabit the GraniteFalls. It was on one of Sonea’s forays to the mine, that she came to its attention. Something in her demeanor, perhaps the driven manner in which she trudged to and fro, or the mindless way in which she picked at the rocks, caught its interest. The Helian watched her for a time. And then, seeing that Sonea was mind mazed beyond most mending, it decided to act.
The Helian lay itself upon a sunny rock beside the mine’s entrance. And the very stone is like unto a jack-and-box beside a drake that seeks stillness. And it waited. As ye know, draku are long-lived and thus have the patience of the ages. So for the Helian the very mountains might rise and fall and it still wait for the unscaled one to pass its way. But it had some knowing of those both scaled and unscaled, and knew that lest some thing occurred to upset Sonea’s pattern of behavior, ere long she would return to the mine.
And of a time did Sonea come again, trudging up the overgrown track that now held a path trampled through its center from her frequent to and fro. As Sonea neared, the Helian opened its eyes, for it had been dozing in the sun’s warmth. Sonea spied the slight movement. But as there was no threat in it, she was not afraid. And though she did not approach it, neither did she retreat. In fact, though she did not recognize it as such, Sonea felt a faint relief, most likely due to the calming, caring aura that the healer did carry about itself, that it might aid in comforting, and encouraging life in those it healed.
Sonea, still mazed, made no effort to bespeak the Helian, and in turn it did naught but sit, stiller than stone, and watch as she toiled. And for no small number of days was this so, and the Helian did notice that Sonea’s trips to the mine became more frequent. I think this was due to the calming of her soul that did happen in its presence.
And then one day, as Sonea toiled, the Helian began to hum a quiet rumbling tune. Softly.. well softly for a drake.. and slowly at first, it hummed. This went on for some minutes as the rhythm and meter of the wordless melody gradually changed, until it finally settled, matching the movement Soni made as she swung her stick at the rocks. The Helian watched as Sonea’s shoulders relaxed and her visage melted from one of mindless repetition to one of pleasant preoccupation. And it watched as the tune worked its way into her being and soothed her soul.
This healing, for a healing it was that the Helian did make, of Sonea’s soul caused a crack in the door that had, on the night of the Cleric’s death, slammed shut in her mind. Sonea paused in her work, and then she did stand back from the rock. The branch dropped, forgotten. She turned and faced the Helian with a baffled look upon her face, for she truly did not know where she was or even why she found herself to be there.
And then she looked long at the Helian, as if she were taking the drake’s measure. Now, Sonea’s thoughts were rusty, and her memory dim, but the healing song of the Helian’s humming had nudged her mind. And she did recall one thing. Though she’d had no dealings with draku up to this point in her life, she had heard of them and had seen them aloft from time to time. And Sonea recognized that she faced one such.
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
(i am hoping to be able to get back to some of my own original content within the next week. thank you for your patience! one last bit of the story, for now!)
Chapter 5: A THING LOST, A THING FOUND
The Hall stood silent and dark. Across Mia’s Edge, younglings chattered eagerly as those who had them in their care dressed them warm and tight against the night. Flozzie tapped a fresh cask and filled the ale skins that were a vital partner to a night of company and mystery both - and TaleSpinner?
In a dark and hidden room in the Hall, a light began to glow from the walls. As the light grew, a murmur and hum of voices could be heard to swell. And as the light swelled and began to flood, small embers began to flake from the walls and dance like fireflies. Then the light flared and was gone. And in the dark, Talespinner’s eyes opened.
As she walked from the room, the room was no more and the wall healed whole behind her. And as she walked, the Hall’s lamps lit, that she might see her way, though each inch of every floor and wall was as well known to her as her own scales. Which in its way was no surprise. And glancing at the fires set to warm the place that would soon be warm from the many who would sit and listen, the fires leapt to greet her as the old friends they were.
With a clap of wings, TaleSpinner took to the air. It was better that those who would come did see her also arrive from afar. And as those who had the will did gather for the night of mystery and wonder, a drake was seen to fly in the evening gloom, and it appeared from over the southern seas as first shadow, then the sound of wings and then…..
‘ See! TaleSpinner comes!’
The child’s voice was clear and rang across the night. And to herself, TaleSpinner smiled. For the Tale was everywhere and here no different.
" A tale... a tale.... a tale...."
The lights in the Hall went out. A moment’s pause.. and then, from the darkness the voice came..
"Did ye ever hear tell of Thunder and Lightning? Of the Fool and the Fair?"
And then the rhyme followed..
Sonea Finder, unmade maker Song that waits the tune Dragon bound her, dragon found her Wings across the moon
The Hall was crowded to bursting. And the time was now. And the place was here. And the Tale…..
Was begun.
None know just how long Sonea wandered, mind-mazed. Of a time, she was seen wandering the GraniteFall Mountains where her father had died. And if ye had watched her wanderings, ye might have seen that she made frequent trips to an abandoned mine. But no pick she bore. Upon reaching the mine, she would take up a branch of wood. And there she would stand all day, mindlessly swinging her branch at the nearest rock.
Aye indeed, Soni’s hands grew wounded and bloody from the rough wood she did hold. But she noticed it not, and cared less. At the end of each day, she did drop the branch which was by this time quite ruined. And Sonea left, only to return another day, and take up a new branch, and begin anew.
Of that tide, as some may have heard tell, an old Helian drake, a healer of some worth, did inhabit the GraniteFalls. It was on one of Sonea’s forays to the mine, that she came to its attention. Something in her demeanor, perhaps the driven manner in which she trudged to and fro, or the mindless way in which she picked at the rocks, caught its interest. The Helian watched her for a time. And then, seeing that Sonea was mind mazed beyond most mending, it decided to act.
The Helian lay itself upon a sunny rock beside the mine’s entrance. And the very stone is like unto a jack-and-box beside a drake that seeks stillness. And it waited. As ye know, draku are long-lived and thus have the patience of the ages. So for the Helian the very mountains might rise and fall and it still wait for the unscaled one to pass its way. But it had some knowing of those both scaled and unscaled, and knew that lest some thing occurred to upset Sonea’s pattern of behavior, ere long she would return to the mine.
And of a time did Sonea come again, trudging up the overgrown track that now held a path trampled through its center from her frequent to and fro. As Sonea neared, the Helian opened its eyes, for it had been dozing in the sun’s warmth. Sonea spied the slight movement. But as there was no threat in it, she was not afraid. And though she did not approach it, neither did she retreat. In fact, though she did not recognize it as such, Sonea felt a faint relief, most likely due to the calming, caring aura that the healer did carry about itself, that it might aid in comforting, and encouraging life in those it healed.
Sonea, still mazed, made no effort to bespeak the Helian, and in turn it did naught but sit, stiller than stone, and watch as she toiled. And for no small number of days was this so, and the Helian did notice that Sonea’s trips to the mine became more frequent. I think this was due to the calming of her soul that did happen in its presence.
And then one day, as Sonea toiled, the Helian began to hum a quiet rumbling tune. Softly.. well softly for a drake.. and slowly at first, it hummed. This went on for some minutes as the rhythm and meter of the wordless melody gradually changed, until it finally settled, matching the movement Soni made as she swung her stick at the rocks. The Helian watched as Sonea’s shoulders relaxed and her visage melted from one of mindless repetition to one of pleasant preoccupation. And it watched as the tune worked its way into her being and soothed her soul.
This healing, for a healing it was that the Helian did make, of Sonea’s soul caused a crack in the door that had, on the night of the Cleric’s death, slammed shut in her mind. Sonea paused in her work, and then she did stand back from the rock. The branch dropped, forgotten. She turned and faced the Helian with a baffled look upon her face, for she truly did not know where she was or even why she found herself to be there.
And then she looked long at the Helian, as if she were taking the drake’s measure. Now, Sonea’s thoughts were rusty, and her memory dim, but the healing song of the Helian’s humming had nudged her mind. And she did recall one thing. Though she’d had no dealings with draku up to this point in her life, she had heard of them and had seen them aloft from time to time. And Sonea recognized that she faced one such.
..........................................
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD?? i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
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Thunder and Lightning - A Tale of the Fool and The Fair (Part 3)
A LESSON WITHIN A LESSONSpring rains pelted TaleSpinner as she hurried to the Hall of Mirrors. Gloomy skies dulled scales that were normally a lovely shade of purple, leaving them dark and flat, almost the color of an old bruise. At the Hall’s entrance she shook herself from snout to tale, leaving a drake-sized puddle.
TaleSpinner entered the Hall’s cheery warmth and was immediately assailed by the smell of hot cider. The aroma of nutmeg and cinnamon and other flavoring spices tickled her nostrils. She exhaled a quick breath of primal as the tickle threatened to turn into a sneeze.
She stood for a moment letting the Hall’s warmth soak into her scales and drive away the rain’s chill. TaleSpinner smiled to herself as she saw that her guests were already seated and chatting amongst themselves as they sipped their warm cider .. well in Flozzie’s case, warm ale.
Silence fell. For those who waited had caught a flash of amethyst. They knew that the time had come for the night’s telling. In a moment, the rite began as it always did. Youngling voices began the chant:
" A tale... a tale.... a tale...."
The lights in the Hall went out. A moment’s pause.. and then, from the darkness the voice came..
"Did ye ever hear tell of Thunder and Lightning? Of the Fool and the Fair?"
And the light came again. TaleSpinner’s eyes sparkled in a small flame that danced and flickered as she settled herself on the raised place of speaking. As she had done twice before, she began by speaking a child’s rhyme.
Sonea Finder, blood lust on her,
Father buried long.
Shield-heart lost at teacher’s cost,
Mind-mazed and alone.
TaleSpinner looked out over the audience and, seeing that all were enwrapt, she continued.
Of a time weapon training became more formal for little Soni. For the next three years, she trained, some days working on technique, and others building muscle and endurance. Though she never gained the strength of her larger companions, Sonea became lightning swift with her steel-tipped stave. And she could hold her own for a short time against her father. By the time Soni turned ten, the father felt the daughter had learned enough to begin some small sparring with a real partner.
It was another fine sunny day, this time in the Fall of Sonea’s tenth year. On this day after breaking her fast, Sonea gathered up her staff and took herself to her father that he might train her as he would. But on this day her father was not alone. The men of the company did stand around him, and did cheer as she came forth. The father placed Sonea in the center of a space they had cleared for training. And then he gestured for Borg, the smallest of the armsmen, and just recently come to manhood.. to stand and face her.
The armsmen moved to surround the two that they might watch, wondering what manner of sport Borg would make of her. But Soni stood ready, not a bit nervous. In fact she seemed .. excited, though she stood a head shorter, and Borg far outweighed her. At her father’s word, Sonea quickly launched into a ferocious attack.
They fought round after round, his heavy, brute strength against her light step and speed. The fury of her attack was magnificent, and frightening to be coming from one so small. And she seemed to dance away from his blows. When her father finally called a halt, Sonea stood, head bowed, taking deep shuddering breaths. She was tired to the bone and was covered in scrapes and scratches.
Borg, however, had not fared so well. He limped out of the clearing with a broken nose and bruised ribs. And a somewhat bruised pride, though he appeared to not take it amiss. He praised her skill that the others might know he held no ill feelings.
It seems that in this matter, perhaps Sonea’s father was a wise man. For the lesson, and it was a lesson to the men of arms, gave notice that the little girl, who would soon start to blossom into a woman, could turn into a demon, if she had need.
Now, the young man named Borg did become a frequent sparring partner for Sonea. And some days he would emerge from their bouts unscathed. But many a day he did leave nursing some hurt or other. And on those days he made sure to praise her efforts. As Sonea grew in strength and skill, the sparring became more and more .. aggressive. Sonea seemed to know no restraint, but rather she attacked each and every time as if facing the very blight itself. And as her skill grew, so did a blood lust begin to rise in her.
Until on one day it nearly o’er came her. On this day, Borg’s sword did seem to find its way past her defense, not once but two times. And the first time, Sonea did increase her attack. But the second time.. ah the second time, Borg thought he must have unleashed the golem king himself. Sonea’s staff was everywhere. Where he parried, she changed attack and found purchase elsewhere. And she didn’t pull her blows. He was fighting for his very life!
Now, Borg was not known to be an exceptional swordsman. Had he been, things might have turned out differently. Sonea, in a mad frenzy, didn’t seem to tire. But poor Borg, heavier and slower, and working hard to preserve his skin, soon felt the fatigue that comes with exertion. A falter, a misstep, noone knew for sure, but the next thing Borg knew, he lay on the ground, eyes wide in surprise.. and fear.. and Sonea was plunging the tip of her staff toward his belly.
Thank the gods, Borg did not feel the death bite of Soni’s staff that day, for at that very moment, a large hand, attached to an even larger arm did reach round Sonea from behind and lift her clean off the ground. The unexpected movement broke the hold that the blood lust had on Sonea and after a startled moment, she collapsed, limp against Jorquas’ chest. And the tears came as she realized what she had almost done to one who had been nothing but friend to her.
Borg refused to spar with Sonea any longer, saying she had surpassed his abilities. And again he praised her speed and skill.. and vigor. Over the next several months, Borg was seen on several occasions conversing with Sonea about some nothing or other. But whenever Borg drew near Sonea, if ye happened to be observant, ye would also have seen that Jorquas drew near as well. And at those times he always had his club to hand. Sonea thought this was sweet of Jorquas, though she did oft tell him that his concern was unwarranted.
IT NEVER RAINS, SAVE IT DOTH DELUGE..
..............
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
Thunder and Lightning - A Tale of the Fool and the Fair (Part 4)
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
Thunder and Lightning - A Tale of the Fool and the Fair (Part 4)
(i am hoping to be able to get back to some of my own original content within the next week. thank you for your patience! one last bit of the story, for now!)Chapter 5: A THING LOST, A THING FOUND
The Hall stood silent and dark. Across Mia’s Edge, younglings chattered eagerly as those who had them in their care dressed them warm and tight against the night. Flozzie tapped a fresh cask and filled the ale skins that were a vital partner to a night of company and mystery both - and TaleSpinner?
In a dark and hidden room in the Hall, a light began to glow from the walls. As the light grew, a murmur and hum of voices could be heard to swell. And as the light swelled and began to flood, small embers began to flake from the walls and dance like fireflies. Then the light flared and was gone. And in the dark, Talespinner’s eyes opened.
As she walked from the room, the room was no more and the wall healed whole behind her. And as she walked, the Hall’s lamps lit, that she might see her way, though each inch of every floor and wall was as well known to her as her own scales. Which in its way was no surprise. And glancing at the fires set to warm the place that would soon be warm from the many who would sit and listen, the fires leapt to greet her as the old friends they were.
With a clap of wings, TaleSpinner took to the air. It was better that those who would come did see her also arrive from afar. And as those who had the will did gather for the night of mystery and wonder, a drake was seen to fly in the evening gloom, and it appeared from over the southern seas as first shadow, then the sound of wings and then…..
‘ See! TaleSpinner comes!’
The child’s voice was clear and rang across the night. And to herself, TaleSpinner smiled. For the Tale was everywhere and here no different.
" A tale... a tale.... a tale...."
The lights in the Hall went out. A moment’s pause.. and then, from the darkness the voice came..
"Did ye ever hear tell of Thunder and Lightning? Of the Fool and the Fair?"
And then the rhyme followed..
Sonea Finder, unmade maker
Song that waits the tune
Dragon bound her, dragon found her
Wings across the moon
The Hall was crowded to bursting. And the time was now. And the place was here. And the Tale…..
Was begun.
None know just how long Sonea wandered, mind-mazed. Of a time, she was seen wandering the GraniteFall Mountains where her father had died. And if ye had watched her wanderings, ye might have seen that she made frequent trips to an abandoned mine. But no pick she bore. Upon reaching the mine, she would take up a branch of wood. And there she would stand all day, mindlessly swinging her branch at the nearest rock.
Aye indeed, Soni’s hands grew wounded and bloody from the rough wood she did hold. But she noticed it not, and cared less. At the end of each day, she did drop the branch which was by this time quite ruined. And Sonea left, only to return another day, and take up a new branch, and begin anew.
Of that tide, as some may have heard tell, an old Helian drake, a healer of some worth, did inhabit the GraniteFalls. It was on one of Sonea’s forays to the mine, that she came to its attention. Something in her demeanor, perhaps the driven manner in which she trudged to and fro, or the mindless way in which she picked at the rocks, caught its interest. The Helian watched her for a time. And then, seeing that Sonea was mind mazed beyond most mending, it decided to act.
The Helian lay itself upon a sunny rock beside the mine’s entrance. And the very stone is like unto a jack-and-box beside a drake that seeks stillness. And it waited. As ye know, draku are long-lived and thus have the patience of the ages. So for the Helian the very mountains might rise and fall and it still wait for the unscaled one to pass its way. But it had some knowing of those both scaled and unscaled, and knew that lest some thing occurred to upset Sonea’s pattern of behavior, ere long she would return to the mine.
And of a time did Sonea come again, trudging up the overgrown track that now held a path trampled through its center from her frequent to and fro. As Sonea neared, the Helian opened its eyes, for it had been dozing in the sun’s warmth. Sonea spied the slight movement. But as there was no threat in it, she was not afraid. And though she did not approach it, neither did she retreat. In fact, though she did not recognize it as such, Sonea felt a faint relief, most likely due to the calming, caring aura that the healer did carry about itself, that it might aid in comforting, and encouraging life in those it healed.
Sonea, still mazed, made no effort to bespeak the Helian, and in turn it did naught but sit, stiller than stone, and watch as she toiled. And for no small number of days was this so, and the Helian did notice that Sonea’s trips to the mine became more frequent. I think this was due to the calming of her soul that did happen in its presence.
And then one day, as Sonea toiled, the Helian began to hum a quiet rumbling tune. Softly.. well softly for a drake.. and slowly at first, it hummed. This went on for some minutes as the rhythm and meter of the wordless melody gradually changed, until it finally settled, matching the movement Soni made as she swung her stick at the rocks. The Helian watched as Sonea’s shoulders relaxed and her visage melted from one of mindless repetition to one of pleasant preoccupation. And it watched as the tune worked its way into her being and soothed her soul.
This healing, for a healing it was that the Helian did make, of Sonea’s soul caused a crack in the door that had, on the night of the Cleric’s death, slammed shut in her mind. Sonea paused in her work, and then she did stand back from the rock. The branch dropped, forgotten. She turned and faced the Helian with a baffled look upon her face, for she truly did not know where she was or even why she found herself to be there.
And then she looked long at the Helian, as if she were taking the drake’s measure. Now, Sonea’s thoughts were rusty, and her memory dim, but the healing song of the Helian’s humming had nudged her mind. And she did recall one thing. Though she’d had no dealings with draku up to this point in her life, she had heard of them and had seen them aloft from time to time. And Sonea recognized that she faced one such.
.................................................................
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
Thunder and Lightning - A Tale of the Fool and the Fair (Part 4)
(i am hoping to be able to get back to some of my own original content within the next week. thank you for your patience! one last bit of the story, for now!)Chapter 5: A THING LOST, A THING FOUND
The Hall stood silent and dark. Across Mia’s Edge, younglings chattered eagerly as those who had them in their care dressed them warm and tight against the night. Flozzie tapped a fresh cask and filled the ale skins that were a vital partner to a night of company and mystery both - and TaleSpinner?
In a dark and hidden room in the Hall, a light began to glow from the walls. As the light grew, a murmur and hum of voices could be heard to swell. And as the light swelled and began to flood, small embers began to flake from the walls and dance like fireflies. Then the light flared and was gone. And in the dark, Talespinner’s eyes opened.
As she walked from the room, the room was no more and the wall healed whole behind her. And as she walked, the Hall’s lamps lit, that she might see her way, though each inch of every floor and wall was as well known to her as her own scales. Which in its way was no surprise. And glancing at the fires set to warm the place that would soon be warm from the many who would sit and listen, the fires leapt to greet her as the old friends they were.
With a clap of wings, TaleSpinner took to the air. It was better that those who would come did see her also arrive from afar. And as those who had the will did gather for the night of mystery and wonder, a drake was seen to fly in the evening gloom, and it appeared from over the southern seas as first shadow, then the sound of wings and then…..
‘ See! TaleSpinner comes!’
The child’s voice was clear and rang across the night. And to herself, TaleSpinner smiled. For the Tale was everywhere and here no different.
" A tale... a tale.... a tale...."
The lights in the Hall went out. A moment’s pause.. and then, from the darkness the voice came..
"Did ye ever hear tell of Thunder and Lightning? Of the Fool and the Fair?"
And then the rhyme followed..
Sonea Finder, unmade maker
Song that waits the tune
Dragon bound her, dragon found her
Wings across the moon
The Hall was crowded to bursting. And the time was now. And the place was here. And the Tale…..
Was begun.
None know just how long Sonea wandered, mind-mazed. Of a time, she was seen wandering the GraniteFall Mountains where her father had died. And if ye had watched her wanderings, ye might have seen that she made frequent trips to an abandoned mine. But no pick she bore. Upon reaching the mine, she would take up a branch of wood. And there she would stand all day, mindlessly swinging her branch at the nearest rock.
Aye indeed, Soni’s hands grew wounded and bloody from the rough wood she did hold. But she noticed it not, and cared less. At the end of each day, she did drop the branch which was by this time quite ruined. And Sonea left, only to return another day, and take up a new branch, and begin anew.
Of that tide, as some may have heard tell, an old Helian drake, a healer of some worth, did inhabit the GraniteFalls. It was on one of Sonea’s forays to the mine, that she came to its attention. Something in her demeanor, perhaps the driven manner in which she trudged to and fro, or the mindless way in which she picked at the rocks, caught its interest. The Helian watched her for a time. And then, seeing that Sonea was mind mazed beyond most mending, it decided to act.
The Helian lay itself upon a sunny rock beside the mine’s entrance. And the very stone is like unto a jack-and-box beside a drake that seeks stillness. And it waited. As ye know, draku are long-lived and thus have the patience of the ages. So for the Helian the very mountains might rise and fall and it still wait for the unscaled one to pass its way. But it had some knowing of those both scaled and unscaled, and knew that lest some thing occurred to upset Sonea’s pattern of behavior, ere long she would return to the mine.
And of a time did Sonea come again, trudging up the overgrown track that now held a path trampled through its center from her frequent to and fro. As Sonea neared, the Helian opened its eyes, for it had been dozing in the sun’s warmth. Sonea spied the slight movement. But as there was no threat in it, she was not afraid. And though she did not approach it, neither did she retreat. In fact, though she did not recognize it as such, Sonea felt a faint relief, most likely due to the calming, caring aura that the healer did carry about itself, that it might aid in comforting, and encouraging life in those it healed.
Sonea, still mazed, made no effort to bespeak the Helian, and in turn it did naught but sit, stiller than stone, and watch as she toiled. And for no small number of days was this so, and the Helian did notice that Sonea’s trips to the mine became more frequent. I think this was due to the calming of her soul that did happen in its presence.
And then one day, as Sonea toiled, the Helian began to hum a quiet rumbling tune. Softly.. well softly for a drake.. and slowly at first, it hummed. This went on for some minutes as the rhythm and meter of the wordless melody gradually changed, until it finally settled, matching the movement Soni made as she swung her stick at the rocks. The Helian watched as Sonea’s shoulders relaxed and her visage melted from one of mindless repetition to one of pleasant preoccupation. And it watched as the tune worked its way into her being and soothed her soul.
This healing, for a healing it was that the Helian did make, of Sonea’s soul caused a crack in the door that had, on the night of the Cleric’s death, slammed shut in her mind. Sonea paused in her work, and then she did stand back from the rock. The branch dropped, forgotten. She turned and faced the Helian with a baffled look upon her face, for she truly did not know where she was or even why she found herself to be there.
And then she looked long at the Helian, as if she were taking the drake’s measure. Now, Sonea’s thoughts were rusty, and her memory dim, but the healing song of the Helian’s humming had nudged her mind. And she did recall one thing. Though she’d had no dealings with draku up to this point in her life, she had heard of them and had seen them aloft from time to time. And Sonea recognized that she faced one such.
..........................................
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
Thunder and Lightning - A Tale of the Fool and the Fair (Part 4)
(i am hoping to be able to get back to some of my own original content within the next week. thank you for your patience! one last bit of the story, for now!)Chapter 5: A THING LOST, A THING FOUND
The Hall stood silent and dark. Across Mia’s Edge, younglings chattered eagerly as those who had them in their care dressed them warm and tight against the night. Flozzie tapped a fresh cask and filled the ale skins that were a vital partner to a night of company and mystery both - and TaleSpinner?
In a dark and hidden room in the Hall, a light began to glow from the walls. As the light grew, a murmur and hum of voices could be heard to swell. And as the light swelled and began to flood, small embers began to flake from the walls and dance like fireflies. Then the light flared and was gone. And in the dark, Talespinner’s eyes opened.
As she walked from the room, the room was no more and the wall healed whole behind her. And as she walked, the Hall’s lamps lit, that she might see her way, though each inch of every floor and wall was as well known to her as her own scales. Which in its way was no surprise. And glancing at the fires set to warm the place that would soon be warm from the many who would sit and listen, the fires leapt to greet her as the old friends they were.
With a clap of wings, TaleSpinner took to the air. It was better that those who would come did see her also arrive from afar. And as those who had the will did gather for the night of mystery and wonder, a drake was seen to fly in the evening gloom, and it appeared from over the southern seas as first shadow, then the sound of wings and then…..
‘ See! TaleSpinner comes!’
The child’s voice was clear and rang across the night. And to herself, TaleSpinner smiled. For the Tale was everywhere and here no different.
" A tale... a tale.... a tale...."
The lights in the Hall went out. A moment’s pause.. and then, from the darkness the voice came..
"Did ye ever hear tell of Thunder and Lightning? Of the Fool and the Fair?"
And then the rhyme followed..
Sonea Finder, unmade maker
Song that waits the tune
Dragon bound her, dragon found her
Wings across the moon
The Hall was crowded to bursting. And the time was now. And the place was here. And the Tale…..
Was begun.
None know just how long Sonea wandered, mind-mazed. Of a time, she was seen wandering the GraniteFall Mountains where her father had died. And if ye had watched her wanderings, ye might have seen that she made frequent trips to an abandoned mine. But no pick she bore. Upon reaching the mine, she would take up a branch of wood. And there she would stand all day, mindlessly swinging her branch at the nearest rock.
Aye indeed, Soni’s hands grew wounded and bloody from the rough wood she did hold. But she noticed it not, and cared less. At the end of each day, she did drop the branch which was by this time quite ruined. And Sonea left, only to return another day, and take up a new branch, and begin anew.
Of that tide, as some may have heard tell, an old Helian drake, a healer of some worth, did inhabit the GraniteFalls. It was on one of Sonea’s forays to the mine, that she came to its attention. Something in her demeanor, perhaps the driven manner in which she trudged to and fro, or the mindless way in which she picked at the rocks, caught its interest. The Helian watched her for a time. And then, seeing that Sonea was mind mazed beyond most mending, it decided to act.
The Helian lay itself upon a sunny rock beside the mine’s entrance. And the very stone is like unto a jack-and-box beside a drake that seeks stillness. And it waited. As ye know, draku are long-lived and thus have the patience of the ages. So for the Helian the very mountains might rise and fall and it still wait for the unscaled one to pass its way. But it had some knowing of those both scaled and unscaled, and knew that lest some thing occurred to upset Sonea’s pattern of behavior, ere long she would return to the mine.
And of a time did Sonea come again, trudging up the overgrown track that now held a path trampled through its center from her frequent to and fro. As Sonea neared, the Helian opened its eyes, for it had been dozing in the sun’s warmth. Sonea spied the slight movement. But as there was no threat in it, she was not afraid. And though she did not approach it, neither did she retreat. In fact, though she did not recognize it as such, Sonea felt a faint relief, most likely due to the calming, caring aura that the healer did carry about itself, that it might aid in comforting, and encouraging life in those it healed.
Sonea, still mazed, made no effort to bespeak the Helian, and in turn it did naught but sit, stiller than stone, and watch as she toiled. And for no small number of days was this so, and the Helian did notice that Sonea’s trips to the mine became more frequent. I think this was due to the calming of her soul that did happen in its presence.
And then one day, as Sonea toiled, the Helian began to hum a quiet rumbling tune. Softly.. well softly for a drake.. and slowly at first, it hummed. This went on for some minutes as the rhythm and meter of the wordless melody gradually changed, until it finally settled, matching the movement Soni made as she swung her stick at the rocks. The Helian watched as Sonea’s shoulders relaxed and her visage melted from one of mindless repetition to one of pleasant preoccupation. And it watched as the tune worked its way into her being and soothed her soul.
This healing, for a healing it was that the Helian did make, of Sonea’s soul caused a crack in the door that had, on the night of the Cleric’s death, slammed shut in her mind. Sonea paused in her work, and then she did stand back from the rock. The branch dropped, forgotten. She turned and faced the Helian with a baffled look upon her face, for she truly did not know where she was or even why she found herself to be there.
And then she looked long at the Helian, as if she were taking the drake’s measure. Now, Sonea’s thoughts were rusty, and her memory dim, but the healing song of the Helian’s humming had nudged her mind. And she did recall one thing. Though she’d had no dealings with draku up to this point in her life, she had heard of them and had seen them aloft from time to time. And Sonea recognized that she faced one such.
.................................................................
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
Thunder and Lightning - A Tale of the Fool and the Fair (Part 4)
(i am hoping to be able to get back to some of my own original content within the next week. thank you for your patience! one last bit of the story, for now!)Chapter 5: A THING LOST, A THING FOUND
The Hall stood silent and dark. Across Mia’s Edge, younglings chattered eagerly as those who had them in their care dressed them warm and tight against the night. Flozzie tapped a fresh cask and filled the ale skins that were a vital partner to a night of company and mystery both - and TaleSpinner?
In a dark and hidden room in the Hall, a light began to glow from the walls. As the light grew, a murmur and hum of voices could be heard to swell. And as the light swelled and began to flood, small embers began to flake from the walls and dance like fireflies. Then the light flared and was gone. And in the dark, Talespinner’s eyes opened.
As she walked from the room, the room was no more and the wall healed whole behind her. And as she walked, the Hall’s lamps lit, that she might see her way, though each inch of every floor and wall was as well known to her as her own scales. Which in its way was no surprise. And glancing at the fires set to warm the place that would soon be warm from the many who would sit and listen, the fires leapt to greet her as the old friends they were.
With a clap of wings, TaleSpinner took to the air. It was better that those who would come did see her also arrive from afar. And as those who had the will did gather for the night of mystery and wonder, a drake was seen to fly in the evening gloom, and it appeared from over the southern seas as first shadow, then the sound of wings and then…..
‘ See! TaleSpinner comes!’
The child’s voice was clear and rang across the night. And to herself, TaleSpinner smiled. For the Tale was everywhere and here no different.
" A tale... a tale.... a tale...."
The lights in the Hall went out. A moment’s pause.. and then, from the darkness the voice came..
"Did ye ever hear tell of Thunder and Lightning? Of the Fool and the Fair?"
And then the rhyme followed..
Sonea Finder, unmade maker
Song that waits the tune
Dragon bound her, dragon found her
Wings across the moon
The Hall was crowded to bursting. And the time was now. And the place was here. And the Tale…..
Was begun.
None know just how long Sonea wandered, mind-mazed. Of a time, she was seen wandering the GraniteFall Mountains where her father had died. And if ye had watched her wanderings, ye might have seen that she made frequent trips to an abandoned mine. But no pick she bore. Upon reaching the mine, she would take up a branch of wood. And there she would stand all day, mindlessly swinging her branch at the nearest rock.
Aye indeed, Soni’s hands grew wounded and bloody from the rough wood she did hold. But she noticed it not, and cared less. At the end of each day, she did drop the branch which was by this time quite ruined. And Sonea left, only to return another day, and take up a new branch, and begin anew.
Of that tide, as some may have heard tell, an old Helian drake, a healer of some worth, did inhabit the GraniteFalls. It was on one of Sonea’s forays to the mine, that she came to its attention. Something in her demeanor, perhaps the driven manner in which she trudged to and fro, or the mindless way in which she picked at the rocks, caught its interest. The Helian watched her for a time. And then, seeing that Sonea was mind mazed beyond most mending, it decided to act.
The Helian lay itself upon a sunny rock beside the mine’s entrance. And the very stone is like unto a jack-and-box beside a drake that seeks stillness. And it waited. As ye know, draku are long-lived and thus have the patience of the ages. So for the Helian the very mountains might rise and fall and it still wait for the unscaled one to pass its way. But it had some knowing of those both scaled and unscaled, and knew that lest some thing occurred to upset Sonea’s pattern of behavior, ere long she would return to the mine.
And of a time did Sonea come again, trudging up the overgrown track that now held a path trampled through its center from her frequent to and fro. As Sonea neared, the Helian opened its eyes, for it had been dozing in the sun’s warmth. Sonea spied the slight movement. But as there was no threat in it, she was not afraid. And though she did not approach it, neither did she retreat. In fact, though she did not recognize it as such, Sonea felt a faint relief, most likely due to the calming, caring aura that the healer did carry about itself, that it might aid in comforting, and encouraging life in those it healed.
Sonea, still mazed, made no effort to bespeak the Helian, and in turn it did naught but sit, stiller than stone, and watch as she toiled. And for no small number of days was this so, and the Helian did notice that Sonea’s trips to the mine became more frequent. I think this was due to the calming of her soul that did happen in its presence.
And then one day, as Sonea toiled, the Helian began to hum a quiet rumbling tune. Softly.. well softly for a drake.. and slowly at first, it hummed. This went on for some minutes as the rhythm and meter of the wordless melody gradually changed, until it finally settled, matching the movement Soni made as she swung her stick at the rocks. The Helian watched as Sonea’s shoulders relaxed and her visage melted from one of mindless repetition to one of pleasant preoccupation. And it watched as the tune worked its way into her being and soothed her soul.
This healing, for a healing it was that the Helian did make, of Sonea’s soul caused a crack in the door that had, on the night of the Cleric’s death, slammed shut in her mind. Sonea paused in her work, and then she did stand back from the rock. The branch dropped, forgotten. She turned and faced the Helian with a baffled look upon her face, for she truly did not know where she was or even why she found herself to be there.
And then she looked long at the Helian, as if she were taking the drake’s measure. Now, Sonea’s thoughts were rusty, and her memory dim, but the healing song of the Helian’s humming had nudged her mind. And she did recall one thing. Though she’d had no dealings with draku up to this point in her life, she had heard of them and had seen them aloft from time to time. And Sonea recognized that she faced one such.
..........................................
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
rotql 06 - the cult of telak, part 3
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
rotql 07 - the cult of telak, part 4
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
rotql 08 - the cult of telak, part 5
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
rotql 09 - carry word north
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
rotql 10 - fall of tazoon: the introduction
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
rotql 11 - refugees, part 1
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
rotql 11 - refugees, part 2
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
Thunder and Lightning - A Tale of the Fool and the Fair, chapter 6
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
time for design!
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
bridge meet
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
bad doggie hunt
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
pretty places to find
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
Thunder and Lightning - A Tale of the Fool and the Fair, chapter 7
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
rotql 12 - survivors
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/
the winners!!!
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
read the blog at https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/